


The Trials Toward Gold

by blkisthenewpnk



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, F/F, Other, Slight Apocalypse, Violence, dubchaeng is trying their best, its okay because jeongyeon is too, tzuyu is gay and also a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:15:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26683531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blkisthenewpnk/pseuds/blkisthenewpnk
Summary: Thinking back to all those years ago when Tzuyu woke up without an inkling of where she was or how she got there, she realized that she never picked up on what occurred before. She heard whispers of what it was like: how the country was thriving, how the Royals were so kind, and how their daughter was a promising leader. She never heard of how it all went wrong. She figured it must've started when the Princess went missing.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Yoo Jeongyeon, Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana, Im Nayeon/Myoui Mina, Park Jisoo | Jihyo/Son Chaeyoung
Kudos: 10





	1. I - Day Zero

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for joining me on this Journey! I have notes planned for a (sorta) long story, so hold on for the ride.

“Tzuyu!” A silky, feminine voice shouted as the aforementioned girl stirred. Confused yet intrigued, the sleepy girl slowly leaned up, opening her eyes to a small girl with a big smile. Her eyes shined as she continued to speak to her.

Kim Dahyun, the girl before her, donned scrappy overalls and a tattered sweatshirt— with damp hair like she just came out of the water. Tzuyu traced a water drop as it slid off a strand of her locks, falling onto her blanket, which accompanied her the previous night. The girl was crouched, brushing the blades of grass and dirt off Tzuyu’s cot.

Dahyun was one of Tzuyu’s companions, and had been since Tzuyu first woke up in the Industrial Paradise, Sinan. Tzuyu internally smiled at the memories, it was such a shame that the bomb dropped and Sinan was no more, it held so many swell memories. The first image Tzuyu could remember was the bustling center of the city, feeling the hay of the cart under her, hearing all the chatter surrounding her.

Her amnesia restrained her, and she couldn’t remember too many things beyond that day. She had vague events pop up in her head— such as the time her mom got her a dog, a small chihuahua which she dubbed Gucci. Besides trivial things like that, nothing important came to her. It frustrated her in a way. She wished she could recall things from her childhood like her friends did around the campfire. Tzuyu sighed as Dahyun started to speak, there was no reason to get worked up again. Dahyun said before that her memories would come to her when she needed them, and Tzuyu trusted Dahyun.

“We gave you a little extra time to nap, but Chaeyoung needed your help with the fish.” Son Chaeyoung, Tzuyu’s first friend. Tzuyu remembered the day vividly, how Chaeyoung’s innocent eyes crinkled as she smiled at her, stretching her hand to help her out of the cart. Dahyun held caution around her at the time, as any 13 year old would be around a strange girl who couldn’t speak the language properly. 

“What does she need?” 

Dahyun shrugged, sitting down with criss-crossed legs, perching herself up with her arms, “If I had to guess, I’d say she can’t reach something.” She grinned mischievously, happy with the short joke she slipped in there. 

Tzuyu chuckled pulled her blanket up, folding it neatly and setting it on top of her satchel-esque bag. She then stretched with her arms outstretched, feeling her lower back pop.

“Alright, I’ll go.” Tzuyu ran her hands through her hair as she took in the surroundings, which were like she left them when she dozed off. 

“Sweet, I’ll start the fire.” 

“Don’t go too far!” Tzuyu shouted as the raven-haired girl darted into the broad wall of trees, most likely settling in the clearing they had explored late last night. They learned years ago that sparking a fire around a surplus of foliage was a horrible idea.

She finally gathered the energy to lumber up, feeling her knees pop at the sudden movement. Her eyes darted to the river they settled near, and she advanced towards it, crouching down and glancing at her reflection. She gazed into her face before cupping her hands in the water, splashing the freshwater on her face and disrupting the mirror image. The nomadic lifestyle that her two best friends led was bizarre and perhaps even difficult to others, but not Tzuyu. This way of living was the first thing she picked up on when she started living and travelling with them, so it was only natural that she embraced it. 

Tzuyu looked up and searched around, ensuring her privacy and started to strip, hopping in the cool river with a chill running up her spine. She dipped her clothing in the water and slowly the grime came off. She then pulled them out, straining them and setting them on the brink of the riverbank. Easing back in the water again, she focused on herself. With speed and efficiency, Tzuyu finished freshening up in no time.

Her mind once again wandered over to the first chapter of her story. She realized something; she wouldn’t change anything. In a moment of weakness, she would ask for her parents, who she never remembered much about, or perhaps her little puppy, who she never got the chance to bond with. One constant in her daydreams was the presence of her friends- her sisters. Dahyun and Chaeyoung took her in during her toughest time with nearly no issues, they treated her like a member of their family. Tzuyu could never repay them.

Tzuyu hopped out of the river, standing on the bank as she dried with a hand-towel. Her clothing, which she set to dry, was only merely damp. With more wringing, they were ready to wear. The outfit was rather simple, a grey tee tucked into her worn cargo pants. They had picked up new clothes about two weeks ago, after they fell into a mud trap and got stuck. She tied her hair in a bun and quickly made her way to Chaeyoung, which she honestly forgot about. She cringed as she remembered, and hoped that it wasn’t anything important.

She followed the river until she found the short haired blonde resting by a rock, bathing in the morning sunlight with her spear on the ground next to her. The older girl peeped an eye open, hearing the footsteps. She cocked her head and got up with a scoff, grabbing her spear and slinging it behind her. The spear strap had prevented Chaeyoung from losing it, which was a serious problem. She had been through at least ten of them in the past year or so.

“Nice of you to visit, Tzuyu.”

“I was taking a bath, at least I smell good.” Chaeyoung rolled her eyes and pointed at her net, which was hanging from a tree branch roughly two feet above them.

“How did you manage to get it stuck?” Tzuyu questioned, looking at the shorter girl who just stared mindlessly at the net.

“Please don’t ask, I want to keep a little bit of my pride.” Tzuyu giggled and backed up. With a running start, she leaped up and grasped the handle. She landed firmly with the net in her hands and a grin on her face. She whipped back around to look at the blonde who was looking at Tzuyu with a soft smile. 

“Tzuyu-” Chaeyoung started, only interrupting to place a gentle kiss on the younger’s cheek, “Thank you so much.” Tzuyu handed the tool to Chaeyoung while the younger grabbed her over-the-shoulder bag and the leather bag (which Tzuyu assumed was full of fish). 

“Let’s go back to Dahyun before she gets bored and tries to use pyrokinesis again.” Tzuyu laughed at the memory, recalling how the oldest nearly burnt her hand off about a year ago.

On the way to their friend, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu struck up small talk: mentioning the reflection of the water against the sky, noticing the pillar of smoke along the tree line, and commenting on the animals that scurried around in the trees. The topic soon reached around to the night before.

“So, how did you sleep, Tzu?” 

Tzuyu shrugged as they took languid steps, “Fine. It wasn’t anything special.”

“Are you sure?” Chaeyoung cocked her head, “you talked in your sleep.” 

“I do?” That was news to Tzuyu. 

“Mhm. It’s in your native language though, so I don’t know what you were saying. Did you dream last night?”

“No, no I didn’t.” Tzuyu shook her head as she spoke, reaching the clearing near the smoky billows, where Dahyun crouched by the fire, watching it with shiny eyes.

“Hey Dahyun.” The girl looked up, smiling at her girls. She leaned back from the fire and got up, moving to talk with them. Soot somehow made its way onto Dahyun’s hands, with her rubbing it off on her pants.

“Hey guys, how did the fishing go?” 

Tzuyu snickered, “It went well until Chaeng got her net stuck in a tree.” Chaeyoung groaned as Dahyun laughed at her blunder. 

“Oh, that’s hilarious... How did you do that?”

“I will not comment.” Chaeyoung said, pointing a finger at the older. Tzuyu looked at the scene, yet her eyes were soon caught by the large fire. No wonder it produced so much smoke, it was one of the largest fires they’ve made.

“How did you get the fire so big?” 

“Well, I can’t take all the credit,” Tzuyu peered at her as she pulled out a small glass bottle, “I snatched some gasoline a couple towns back. I guess it’s a little useful for starting fires.” 

Unscrewing the cap with a devious smile, she let a drop of it fall onto the fire and it flared up, nearly scorching her eyebrows.

“Woah, watch it Kim!” Chaeyoung said, shielding her face from the heat. Tzuyu backed up and watched as the fire gradually climbed back down to a reasonable height. 

“Alright, alright,” Dahyun reassured as she took the fish bag from Chaeyoung, “We’ll cook the food. Tzuyu, can you gather our stuff please?” 

Tzuyu nodded and watched as Chaeyoung started gutting the fish, feeling bile rise up her throat. Swallowing with a grimace, she turned as she made her way to their sleeping site. While she isn’t as sensitive as her younger persona was, the thought of her taking the guts and organs out of a once living fish, along with all the blood— _Gosh I should get going before I make myself throw up._

She came upon the rising, immediately closing in on her stuff. Taking her blanket and stuffing it in her bag, she discerned her blade and belt strap, which was obscured under them. She internally facepalmed, she forgot to put it on. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she picked the dagger strap up and buckled it on, adjusting the holster so it was at a comfortable enough place.

She then grabbed the girl’s things and set them in their respective containers. She was finishing up with Dahyun’s cot when she heard a noise. She paused, and listened for more. When she didn’t hear anything, she resumed her actions. Another noise rang out, this time a cry. Tzuyu stood up in alarm. Not because it was Dahyun and Chaeyoung, but because it wasn’t. No, the cry came from a man, maybe several of them.

Tzuyu slowly creeped her way to the clearing where her friends were, going slowly so as to not make a sound. Her hand crawled to her dagger, resting it cautiously along the handle. Temptation rose for her to call out for them, yet she pushed it down. It would be stupid, and would get them all in trouble. 

She crouched down by a thick tree trunk and peered over it, seeing three men who she didn’t recognize. Chaeyoung had taken her fishing spear from earlier and pointed it at the closest one, a scrawnier man with a beard, who attempted to snatch it from her.

“Back up!” She barked out, lunging to stab the man in the hand. He groaned and pulled back, holding his hand as Chaeyoung eyed him with uncertainty.

The tallest man, who had a large machete hanging off his hip, picked up an uncooked fish and pulled the bone straight out of it, sending blood flying onto his shirt. He then bit down on it with a crunch, making Tzuyu wince and focus on another guy (who was doing something less gross). 

The other guy, who was a bit on the tubbier side, held a 12 gauge shotgun in his hands and glanced around with shaky eyes. Tzuyu figured that he was no older than she was, and no taller than her either. If she had to take out one, she wanted it to be him.

Tzuyu sighed and over-viewed the situation again. The men had cornered them, leaving them at the edge of the bluff. Dahyun was behind Chaeyoung, grasping the younger girl's shoulder to stop her from moving back any further. The former was oddly calm, surveying the guys with a sharp gaze. Chaeyoung however, was wide eyed and sporadically darted her spear between all the men. Her wide eyes locked onto Tzuyu’s for a second and she subtly shook her head, quickly glaring back at the men a second after. 

Tzuyu decided at that moment, she wasn’t listening to Chaeyoung. If Tzuyu didn’t do something, they would end up injured or worse— and she couldn’t take that chance. 

“Alright,” the tall man started, tying his long hair back into a ponytail and munching on the bone, “You girls were fairly hard to track down, but it’s over now. Hand them over.”

The clearing was silent for a second.

Chaeyoung tilted her head with a scrunched expression, “What are you going on about? We didn’t take anything from you.” 

The man laughed and spit the remaining bones into the fire, it flaring for a second. Tzuyu frowned at the exchange, trying to think of something to do. They couldn’t possibly take on all three of them… no, they’d have to separate them somehow.

“You say that,” he scoffed, “it’s not just a ‘thing’, it’s a powerful-” The skinny guy growled and kicked at Chaeyoung, nearly knocking them off the cliff.

“Quit playing games with us! Where. Is. It?!” 

Tzuyu looked around, a idea fresh in her mind. Her judgement was a little wonky, so maybe it wasn’t the best course of action, however she didn’t have many options. Her eyes scanned for something that would make a lot of noise to distract the men, like a rock or something else harsh. A log floating in the water caught her attention. That would make enough noise to draw some of them out, wouldn’t it? It’d be enough to distract them so they could at least attack.

Tzuyu crouch-walked over to the log and perched, searching for the right place to throw it. When she saw a large rock approx. 50 yard away, she knew it’d be the right place. She carefully aimed and chucked the log at it, watching as it smashed against it and broke into pieces. 

The fat man turned around and aimed his gun shakily at the slam, “What was that?”

“Go search for it, you and Oh both.” Oh, the skinny man, scoffed and walked up to the tall man.

“I’m telling you, I can handle this.” He whispered out, holding his chest. The tall man said nothing, leading him to gripe over where the plump man was waiting. The man watched over them as they walked towards the river bank to look for the source of the noise. He smirked and turned to the two girls, who hadn’t moved an inch.

Meanwhile Tzuyu was already in her original position, ready to make her next move. Oh no. She realized that she had no next move, and almost facepalmed.

“Now girls, please make this easy for both of us and just give them up.” His rich, milky voice said as he stalked closer to the duo, leading Chaeyoung to gesture at him violently. 

“We don’t even know who you are! Leave as alone!” Chaeyoung pointed at him with the spear again. The man lunged forward and pulled the lance, steering her towards him and throwing her down near the campfire, taking her weapon in the process. As she groaned on the ground, he grasped the spear and broke it in half, throwing the remains in the blaze by them.

Chaeyoung lunged up and threw her body weight on the man, yet it still wasn’t enough to knock him over. He clutched her petite shoulders and threw her down with a thump. She tried to kick his knee out, missing by a few inches. He growled and stomped down on her left leg, his heavy duty boots leaving a strong impression on her skin. The cracking sound alone was enough for Tzuyu to look away, yet the scream that Chaeyoung emitted was the icing on the cake. Tzuyu sighed as the scream led way for more whimpers from the girl, whose leg was definitely fractured at the least.

In a matter of seconds, Dahyun was in action, charging at the man and vaulting onto his back. Her hands made its way upon his eyes and jabbed, causing him to groan. He grabbed her arms and flung her off of him, sending her tumbling off the ledge. Tzuyu heard a thud at the bottom, making her wince. Things could not have gone worse.

“Dahyun! You okay?” Chaeyoung shouted as the man crouched down and wiped his eyes. Dahyun must’ve scratched him, as his sleeves were now stained red.

“I’m okay… shoulder… trying to…” That was all Tzuyu could make out, she didn’t realize the bottom was that far down.

She watched cautiously as the man rose up with his hand on his machete holster. His eyes were on Chaeyoung, who attempted to crawl away. The poor girl had enough injuries for Tzuyu, so the latter pulled her gilded dagger out and waited for the right moment to strike. Tzuyu knew she couldn’t best him in combat, but the risk was one she was willing to take.

He took one step, and then another, Tzuyu got the urge to leap out. And so she did.

He barely had any time to react to her, narrowly dodging the swipe towards his neck— leaving a thin red trail along his throat. Tzuyu swung again at his face, a mere inches away before he grabbed her arm and pulled it behind her back, pushing her to the ground. Her dagger had fallen in the process, leaving her defenseless. She struggled to get free, feeling the grass tickling her face and neck as the man held her down. She heard Chaeyoung grunt and felt an extra weight on her back, she coiled around and saw Chaeyoung choking him from behind. He got up and threw her off of him, breathing heavily as he struggled to catch his breath.

“You’re really starting to get on my nerves, why won’t you just tell me where they are?”

“Go to hell.” He lurched at her, landing a couple of punches before Chaeyoung started blocking them.

Tzuyu saw movement in the corner of her eye, and clocked Dahyun holding the small vial of Gasoline from earlier, with her right shoulder hanging limp. Dahyun’s plan made itself clear to Tzuyu, so she slowly stepped back from the campfire, grabbing her dagger from the ground and bracing herself. Chaeyoung seemed to notice as well, and used all her remaining strength to push him into the fire. He let out a small grunt and slowly stood up.

“Nice try, but ruining my leather isn’t gonna save you now.” 

He unsheathed his machete and made a move to step towards her. He didn’t get the chance, as Dahyun launched the bottle at him, drenching him in gas. Tzuyu closed her eyes as the blaze swallowed him, encapsulating the man as he screamed. The smell came seconds later, causing Tzuyu to gag. That went on for seconds before the noises started to die down. Her eyes opened just as his screaming stopped, seeing him down by the river, his hand barely grazing the water. He had nearly made it, that’s so unfortunate.

The crackling fire was still going strong, an indirect signal to his companions. They would be back anytime now, and they wouldn’t be able to fight back.

Tzuyu jogged over to Chaeyoung and picked her up, hoisting her over her shoulder. 

“Tzuyu,” Chaeyoung started, yet didn’t finish. Dahyun picked up her and Chaeyoung’s bags and slung them over her good shoulder, making her way over to Tzuyu.

“We need to get going before the others come back, come on.” Dahyun trudged down the opposite way of the men and Tzuyu followed, Chaeyoung resting on her shoulder. They left the fire and its smoke behind as they tried to move forward. 

During the hour-long transit, they had followed the river into a roofer forest, shading them from the blistering hot sun. Dahyun groaned as Tzuyu continued to travel.

“Tzuyu, I think we need to take a rest. It wouldn’t be smart to waste all our energy.” Tzuyu hummed and slowed her movements.

“Do you think we’ve gone far enough?” Dahyun nodded desperately, holding her crippled limb.

“Yes, please. My shoulder is killing me. I think I dislocated it or something in the fall.”

Tzuyu sighed, “You’re right. We need to gather supplies anyway, maybe some pain medicine.”

Tzuyu gently laid Chaeyoung against a warm rock, the older girl groaning at the movement. She readjusted her leg and sighed, looking at the other two. Dahyun set the bags down and rested against a sturdy tree, basking in the shade. Tzuyu crouched next to Dahyun, relaxing her arms, which were starting to cramp up. She flicked her dagger out and cut a strip of bark off of the tree, a marker of their travels.

“Remember that town we saw a couple hundred feet back? We could go there and scavenge.” Chaeyoung mumbled out, tension in her eyebrows. Her hands were messaging her thigh, kneading the sore area. Tzuyu felt guilt wrap it’s hands around her neck. If Tzuyu had moved quicker— intervened in time— they wouldn’t have gotten so battered.

“There’s no way I’m letting you guys go, you’re both injured.” Tzuyu paused to think, “I can go alone.”

Immediately Dahyun and Chaeyoung erupted to deny, shaking their heads and muttering their opinions.

“Absolutely not, it’s too risky.” Dahyun stated, with a firmness in her voice.

“You can’t go alone, what if something goes wrong?” Chaeyoung inquired, nearly making Tzuyu second guess herself, yet the tall girl stood her ground and campaigned for her to go scavenge.

“Would you guys rather go with broken limbs and joints? I’m better off on my own, without you two weighing me down.”

There was a strong moment of silence before Dahyun relaxed, her hand scratching at her neck.

“If you think you can handle it, we’ll have a campfire ready for you when you get back.” Dahyun sighed out, rubbing the younger girl’s back with her good arm. Tzuyu leaned into her touch for a second before getting up, stretching her arms.

“If you get hurt… I will butcher whoever did it and then butcher you.” She said with a completely straight face. Tzuyu winced a little, yet quickly clasped her hands and sent a smile. 

“Thank you guys. I’ll be back soon.” She tied her hair up and looked at the older girls. She had always had an issue expressing her emotions, but it was never too late to tell them how she loved them.

“I love you both, stay safe.” Chaeyoung sighed, almost like she needed to hear that. She let her head loll back onto the rock and hummed.

“I love you too, Tzuyu.” 


	2. II - Yoo Jeongyeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tzuyu encounters an interesting woman in the middle of a bar brawl.

It took Tzuyu less time to make her way there, considering that she didn’t have anyone resting on her shoulder this time. The town was fairly deserted, with only a couple of poor souls attempting to market things to pay for their food for the week. Tzuyu entertained a couple, buying a ring and a skin of water, making the salesperson smile brightly at her. 

The old, dusty road of the village was barren minus a group of boys a few yards down the line, who were occupied by something they’d found on the ground. Perhaps it was roadkill, or maybe an interesting relic of the golden days. As Tzuyu approached them, she took to the sidewalk to minimize their proximity. She skirted by silently, hoping that they wouldn’t pay her any mind. 

“Hey girl,” a sleazy voice ushered out, making Tzuyu speed up her pace a little. Hope doesn’t work sometimes. Tzuyu kept her distance and hoped that he would get the memo.

“Hey, I’m talking to you!” _Just ignore him, Tzuyu_.

“Such a bitch, why the attitude, huh?” he stepped closer, sending the alarm in Tzuyu's head blaring.

“Leave me alone, please. I don’t have time for this,” she said with her hands up, walking around him quickly.

The man scoffed at her, and said something to his friends, Tzuyu tried to omit them from her mind and look for some place of use as she walked on. 

A off-white building with a crimson plus sign on the top piqued her interest. She darted towards the entrance, only to find that the door was bolted. She clicked her tongue and scanned the building, quickly noticing the shattered window a few feet above her. Brainstorming, she looked down at her hands, which weren’t protected at all. She sighed and rolled her shoulders. This might hurt a bit.

With a running start, she leaped up and grabbed onto the sill of the hole, pulling herself up and nearly sending herself head first into a minefield of glass. Carefully stepping into the second floor, she searched the room for anything that could be of use. While rummaging through a closet full of broken tools, she found a cast, one that would help Dahyun.

Her continuing search became futile; she didn’t find anything else. A pill bottle filled with (not expired) pain medicine was one of the only other useful things in the hospital. She crouched in the window sill and watched as the guy from before walked by, oblivious to her presence. She exhaled and watched as he turned into an alley. Feeling safe, she jumped down and started her way back to her friends.

Tzuyu’s eyes caught onto a tall tavern, with a flickering neon sign that bore the name _Johnny’s_. The cobwebs around the door was a sign that it was empty—minus maybe a few parcels of food and some tools. She slowly turned the knob and pushed through the door, dust stirring around her as she stumbled through. A small noise near the bar sent Tzuyu into panic, but as she examined the area further, she discovered a creaky board that was the source of the noise.

Watching the entrance warily, she slid over the bartop and searched further. A miniature fridge greeted her as she walked into the back room. Scouring through it, she found a few sealed bags of chips. Accompanied with a little victory dance, she slipped out the room. Tzuyu didn’t look at the expiration date. She knew they couldn’t afford to be picky.

Hopping over the counter again, she noticed a lift in the wooden panels along the floor. A hatch that could possibly lead to a cellar.

_Creaaak._

Steel toed shoes clacked on the ground, slowly getting louder and louder.

Tzuyu closed her eyes and sighed, praying that when she opened them there would be a polite merchant, and not the creepy boy from earlier. She knew it was in vain, there was never a moment of peace in the country.

“Hey girlie, don’t run now,” a familiar snarky voice said. Tzuyu turned and saw the guy from before—minus his buddies. Her mind raced as she thought through the situation, her hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of her dagger. The man rushed into action, charging at Tzuyu with his dark oak cane high in the air.

Tzuyu pushed him away in vain, as the man cracked the cane across her face and tackled her into the bar top, plowing into a few stools (one of which made a thud in Tzuyu’s ribs.) His cane wrapped its way around the young girl's neck and squeezed tightly. In the process, Tzuyu’s dagger had fallen and been kicked away from her person. She needed to invest in a strap or something.

“Did you think you would get off easily? I have a tough reputation, you bitch, and you’re no different than the others.”

He retracted his cane and tossed her into a group of chairs as if she was dead weight. Her temple struck the side of a table as she landed, leaking blood down her neck. She groaned and held the place firmly. Maybe Chaeyoung and Dahyun were right.

The girl was prepared to die as the man stalked closer, yet a blonde busted through the rusty doors and strode towards the man, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him away. She was dressed with little-to-no thought about fashion, covered in soot, and clothed in tattered pieces, yet she still looked like a model.

“Yugyeom! I told you to stop picking fights with randoms, we have things we need to do,” she pushed him back lightly, but with no conviction.

“She insulted me, I couldn’t let it slide, you know that Yoo.”

“That’s not my business, let’s get your ass back to camp,” she pulled his jacket and led him to the door.

“Sorry Jeong, but I can’t, I’ve gotta teach her a lesson.” 

Yoo took notice of Tzuyu, peering at her as Tzuyu tried to crawl back from the duo and keep pressure on her head at the same time.

“She’s down, just come along. Don’t make me drag you out,” she said, glancing at Tzuyu again. Maybe Tzuyu had a slight concussion, or maybe she was seeing things, but she could’ve swore that the blonde, Yoo, glanced at her with pity in her gaze. No, she couldn't put too much faith into this woman. Who knows if she'd actually have mercy.

Yugyeom stood silently, thinking of his next move. It seemed that he made up his mind because in an instant, he charged at Tzuyu with a determined look, sending shivers of fear throughout the young girl. She squealed, throwing chairs into his path to ward off death another second. He kicked the oncoming chairs and grabbed her ankles, yanking her into his grasp. Tzuyu kicked, and slapped, even spit to get him away from her, but it didn’t work. She sent one pleading look at the blonde, hoping that the tough woman would have a moment of weakness.

She was blindsided by the blonde’s assault, pulling him off her and punching him in the nose, causing a small brawl. The two landed on the floor hard, rolling and trying to 1-Up the other. The blonde took place on the man with his cane in her hands—choking him in the same way he did Tzuyu. They stood frozen for moments, maybe minutes before he went limp.

The woman rose with a small gash under her lip, more focused on the sudden tightness in her back. After a quick twist and an audible crack, she relaxed and turned her attention to Tzuyu, who had watched the entire time. Tzuyu had a blank stare, zoning in on the man’s still body, she didn’t quite process the past minutes until the blonde made eye contact with her.

“D’you see that kid? He won’t be bothering you anytime soon.”

Tzuyu could barely process what the woman had said. Her eyes were still locked onto the young man, roughly the same age as her, who was growing paler as time went by. He was dead. He was alive moments ago, but now he wasn’t. He looked almost… peaceful. He looked like a kid.

He could’ve been so different. The fallout of the capital changed everyone—even an amnesiac like Tzuyu. Yugyeom could have been a beautiful bouncy baby boy meant to do great things, and then the fallout changed him—so much that he felt as if he had to harm people to feel strong.

“Don’t be afraid, please. My name is Yoo Jeongyeon, I’m a friend.”

Did you expect to murder a friend when you walked into town Yoo Jeongyeon? Did you feel remorse, or was it something that you felt needed to be done? The blonde’s smile felt _off_ , and as Tzuyu snapped out of her trance, she noticed that her eyes seemed oddly tired. Tired of losing friends, Yoo Jeongyeon? Tzuyu was, she knew that much.

“I-I’m Tzuyu,” she croaked out, her throat suddenly parched. 

“Your head looks pretty nasty. Do you need any help? Or can you handle it?”

Tzuyu thought back to Dahyun and Chaeyoung, her long time sisters. They would freak out if they saw Tzuyu with a moderate head injury. Dahyun was the only one with expertise in medicine, but with her shoulder injury… Tzuyu would need help—at least for this day. Besides, Tzuyu was feeling a little woozy; she wouldn’t be able to walk to base alone—not if there was a chance of a third attack, and there was a big chance.

“Could you?” Jeongyeon tilted her head as Tzuyu spoke, “I’d be grateful.”

Jeongyeon sent her a short-lived smile and dug into her shoulder bag, coming up with a medium sized box that had medical supplies.

“So, where are you sleeping tonight? I’ll walk you,” Jeongyeon dabbed a cotton ball in alcohol, wiping the area on her temple clean. Tzuyu winced a bit, it burned. The other girl murmured a quick apology and started sanitizing the needle and threads. 

“I—”

“I’d have to figure out sooner or later. Like hell I’m letting an injured kid walk home alone. It’s nearly dark.”

“I’m 19, not a kid.” Jeongyeon hummed, trying her hardest not to hurt Tzuyu as she started the first stitch.

“I’m around 22, give or take a couple of months. So yeah, you’re a kid.”

“That’s not _that_ much older.”

“During times like this? Hell yeah, it is.”

“I guess you’re right. We’re camping by a river nearby, I can lead you there. We got into a skirmish about three hours ago. Both of them got pretty banged up," Tzuyu huffed and crossed her legs, "I got out virtually unscathed though.”

After a beat, Tzuyu spoke again, “They’re protective.”

“I can understand that. You’re a pretty girl. It’d be a shame if you got hurt.” Ignoring the shy flush that crawled up her cheeks, she glanced at the body that used to be vibrant and full of life.

“Yugyeom didn’t think that.”

“Yugyeom’s an idiot, and Yugyeom’s also dead. Don’t worry about him.” Tzuyu hummed slightly, looking at the man on the floor again. He didn’t deserve to die. Nobody deserved to die. He could have changed, he could have changed.

“Don’t think about it too hard, darling. Nobody will miss him. He would’a died soon anyways. He was a loose cannon.”

Tzuyu looked at Jeongyeon. She had clearly seen some things that changed her, Tzuyu wondered what she was like before the fallout. Has she ever been in Yugyeom’s shoes, a person that generally didn’t care about anyone but herself? Tzuyu found herself blurting out a question that she never intended to leak out.

“Do you regret it?” Jeongyeon paused in her threading, nearly finished with Tzuyu’s stitches. After a moment of deliberation which Tzuyu could see on her face. Jeongyeon sighed.

“Maybe. It had to be done though. Wouldn’t’ve listened to me, and you would’a gotten hurt.” The air settled into a light silence. It was a little tense, and Tzuyu felt more and more embarrassed as the time rolled on.

“Have you been to the capital recently?” Jeongyeon asked, setting the needle down and wiping the stream of blood that dripped off Tzuyu’s jaw.

“I try not to, why? What happened?”

“Trenches. All around the city. Completely blocked off. No one knows if anyone’s still inside.”

“That’s insane.” Tzuyu mumbled. It was silent once again for a couple minutes. Jeongyeon wasn't aware of Tzuyu's case of amnesia, which felt like it unraveled everyday. Tzuyu remembered niche things often, like her old favorite food or her mother’s singing voice.

“Alright! You’re done.” Jeongyeon stood up. Tzuyu got up and slowly made her way to her deserted dagger. Sliding it back into her holster, she secured the items in her satchel and turned to Yoo Jeongyeon, ready to go.

“Woah, nice knife. Why couldn’t you use that on Yugyeom? You would have saved us both some trouble.” Tzuyu stayed silent. The intended joke didn’t hit as well as it should have. Too soon. 

“You said you’d walk me back to my place, right?”

“It’d be the polite thing to do.” Tzuyu rolled her eyes.

“We should get going, then, it’s night.”

“Alright Tzuyu, let’s roll.” The pair walked out of the building and stood on the sidewalk. Tzuyu glanced up, and did a double take towards the front of the tavern. The neon sign was no longer flickering, void of any life.

“So…” Jeongyeon was about to say until they heard a noise by the side of the building. Grabbing her dagger and flicking it in front of her, Tzuyu peered into the alley way. (She wasn’t gonna be beaten this time.) She was greeted by the sight of half a dozen men in hoods, staring at the girl with the creepiest gaze. Tzuyu saw Jeongyeon cock her head in her peripheral, clutching onto Yugyeom's cane—which seems to be her newly adopted weapon of choice.

“Uh, Jeongyeon? Do you know them?”

“Uh… nope. Do you?” One of the men pulled out a bat, and started walking towards them.

“No…” The girls broke into a sprint, fleeing from the hooded figures who charged towards them at the same time. 

“I didn’t realize that there were religious cults around here.” Jeongyeon shouted over the motion, jumping over a broken wall.

“Those guys are cult members?” Tzuyu hopped over the same wall, coming close towards Jeongyeon.

“I’d heard rumors about them but I didn’t know they were in the outskirts! I thought they got wiped out in the capital fire.”

“Why are they chasing us? We didn’t do anything!”

“They’re cannibals, Tzu.” Jeongyeon took her old companions cane, did a 180, and clocked the nearest guy in the head. She turned back around and sprinted towards the taller girl, who was a couple yards ahead of her engaging with a guy.

“What?!” Tzuyu shrieked, pushing his head into the wall.

“Did I forget to mention that?”

“Yes! Yes you did!” 

Some of the last members stopped chasing them and just stared at the girls. Safe to say they didn’t stare back. They approached the river bank and rested, catching their breaths.

“Oh… that was crazy.” Tzuyu mumbled, leaning against a tree with familiar stripped bark. Jeongyeon squatted by the bank, cupped water in her hands, and splashed her face.

“Ah. I’m so unfit. Mina was right.” She mumbled, turning back and looking at Tzuyu.

“Where are your friends?” Tzuyu stared at the dampened campfire that she hadn’t seen before a couple of feet away from her. That wasn’t right, they wouldn’t leave without a note right? Jeongyeon followed her gaze and walked up to the campfire. She crouched down and touched a coal, rubbing her fingers together afterwards.

“What are you doing?” Tzuyu asked. 

“They aren’t far. The coals are still really warm. It got doused recently.” She stood up and looked at the ground. “The ground is still soft from last week's typhoon. There are small indentations on the ground that go that way.”

“W-Wait, there are these broken branches over this way, they may have gone this way.” The blonde peered over where Tzuyu was pointing, and thought about it for a while.

“Well… we can split up. You’re a big girl, you can handle it, right?” Tzuyu looked at the older girl and scratched the back of her head, nodding.

“Okay. Stay safe. Yell if you need me.” Jeongyeon furrowed her brows for a second, then smiled with a foreign glint in her eye.

“You got it Tzu, same goes for you,” Jeongyeon then walked off and started mumbling about how the line rhymed. 

Tzuyu stared at the retreating girl, her mind filled with static. The journey to the city didn’t entail meeting a woman like Yoo Jeongyeon. Yoo Jeongyeon, defended a stranger from her friend—leaving him cold and lifeless on the floor. Despite the negative actions from her, Tzuyu had a warm, bubbling feeling in her chest when she thought of the woman. She did save her after all.

Tzuyu sighed and lightly slapped her forehead. Right now she needed to find her friends. Her _injured_ friends.

Tzuyu started to follow the broken trail, yet was interrupted by a yelp from a familiar voice. Dahyun? She backtracked and jogged in the same direction Jeongyeon did. 

When she came into view, she noticed two things. First, Jeongyeon stood in an odd position, with Chaeyoung latched onto her legs—attempting to knock the taller woman down. Second, Dahyun was smacking Jeongyeon in the face very violently with a tree branch. Quite an odd sight to see.

“Guys, she’s a friend.” 

The movement stopped. Dahyun and Chaeyoung looked at Tzuyu with a shocked expression, slowly releasing the older girl and getting away from her. Chaeyoung crawled by a rock and leaned against it, watching her friend as Dahyun threw the branch into the river and sat by her. 

Jeongyeon looked at the younger girls with a small smile on her face as she crouched near the water, and splashed her face, washing away the small amount of blood that Dahyun drew. She didn't seem very bothered by the fact she nearly got her eye poked out by a stick.

“Could have warned us.” Chaeyoung said, pouting as she adjusted on the rock. “I moved for no reason, it hurt you know?” 

“Yeah, I had to pick her up. Chaeng’s a lot heavier when you can only use one arm.” Dahyun glanced at Chaeyoung, expecting her to complain, but Chaeyoung’s eyes were locked on Tzuyu. More specifically, Tzuyu’s freshly stitched temple.

“What happened to your head, Tzuyu?” Tzuyu took a deep breath and prepared for the worst. It was just like Chaeyoung to notice the one thing she didn't want her to.

“Well, this guy snuck up on me in a bar and there was a little altercation.” She put emphasis on the work "little," trying to save face.

“I’ll kill him, that bastard.” Chaeyoung muttered. Jeongyeon chuckled, her fingertips grazing lightly against Tzuyu’s wound.

“Sorry Tiger, I beat you to it. He went out easy, you didn’t miss anything.” Chaeyoung’s expression changed, with her eyebrows shooting up.

“You saved Tzuyu? Um... thanks.”

“Don’t thank me.” 

“W-Wait, wait wait wait! I have a question…” Dahyun said, running her good hand through her hair.

“Shoot.”

“You know how things are in today’s time, why would you save someone you don’t even know? Especially when they could turn on you after.”

“Well… I don’t know.” Chaeyoung raised an eyebrow at the woman. “I guess I sympathized with her. We were all that girl one day. Besides, I never really liked the guy.” 

Dahyun let out a loose chuckle, “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” 

“Do you think I can stay with you guys for the night? My camp's far out.” Chaeyoung and Tzuyu looked at Dahyun. The pale girl noticed their gaze and smiled, holding her arm in place. Tzuyu remembered the cast in her bag, she should get that to Dahyun soon. 

“Well… I guess it’s the least we can do for you. Tzuyu can start the fire while I fish a little bit further down river. Chaeng can’t really do much, but if you need anything-”

“No, I can help. I’ll pull out some wool, clear the area, maybe get some logs.”

“Chaeng, your leg is fucked. You won’t be able to stand long enough to do anything.”

“I can still-”

“Chaeyoung,” Tzuyu said, stopping the other girl. They held the staring contest for a while before Chaeyoung broke off, huffing.

“Fine, I’ll take it easy.” Tzuyu smiled.

“Good.” 

It appeared that Jeongyeon was staying with them for longer than Tzuyu expected.


	3. III - Moon Night Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongyeon and Tzuyu bond over the campfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short update!

Jeongyeon cocked her head at the younger girl, who was currently struggling at starting the fire. Tzuyu clearly wasn’t the most experienced at it. Jeongyeon couldn’t help but laugh at her, only stopping when the younger girl glared in her direction.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Tzuyu, you’re clearly struggling, let me help you.”

“No, no… you’re our guest. I’ve got this.” Tzuyu turned to the pile of sticks again and spun them violently, yelping when the stick flew out of her hands. Chaeyoung laid against the rock from earlier, having fun in her dreamland. Jeongyeon widened her eyes and put her finger to her lips, shushing her. Tzuyu looked at Chaeyoung with wide eyes, waiting to see if she would wake up. 

When she didn’t, the two quietly celebrated, fistpumping each other. Tzuyu then grabbed the stick and tried to start the fire again.

“Can you two be quiet please? I’m beat.” Chaeyoung mumbled, stretching a little before snoozing off again. Jeongyeon and Tzuyu looked at her, and then looked at each other, sighing. Never celebrate too early. 

Tzuyu had given Dahyun the cast and gave them both some pain medicine. Dahyun’s mood did a complete 180 afterwards, and she struck up a convo with Jeongyeon with so much energy that Jeongyeon was worried that they gave her too much medicine. Chaeyoung on the other hand, immediately went to sleep. Jeongyeon couldn’t blame her though. With the story that Tzuyu told her, Chaeyoung needed the extra sleep. 

“Hey Jeongyeon?” Tzuyu asked, still trying to create friction with the sticks. Jeongyeon hummed at the girl.

“How’s your camp? You know, the one you mentioned earlier?” Jeongyeon was surprised by the question, Tzuyu was a lot more intuitive than she expected.

“Oh? Well… my friend and I started it up a couple of years ago. We set up a house near the base of a volcano and people just kind of joined us.”

Jeongyeon’s mind wandered to her camp back home. How was Nayeon running things? She normally trusted her with everything, but she still worried for the older girl. She realized that her thoughts were the only things making noise, and turned to Tzuyu.

“You good Tzuyu?” The younger girl flinched at the noise, looking up at Jeongyeon.

“Oh, yeah I’m okay. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Nothing important.”

“If it’s got you quiet then it’s probably important.”

“It’s not, trust me.” Tzuyu started on the fire again, leaving the conversation behind. In the span of about 10 seconds, the fire sparked. She blew lightly on the fire and spread it to the rest of the pile.

“Wow, it only took you 30 minutes.” Tzuyu glared at Jeongyeon, but it slowly turned into a smile. Dahyun came out of the clearing. The two girls looked at her, noticing the net in her hand filled with various pond fish.

“Hey, how’s your shoulder?”

“Fantastic, well… fantastic for now. I’m not sure when this stuff wears off, but I hope it doesn’t.”

“I think you have a couple more hours, it’ll last you throughout the night.”

“Alright, Jeongyeon do you wanna do the honors? Cooking isn’t really our strong suit, and I need to take a nap.” She said, sitting down by Chaeyoung, leaning her head on her shoulder.

“I would love to, I finally get to do something.” Dahyun frowned playfully. 

“Did our Tzuyu keep you bored?” Tzuyu straightened her posture and frowned.

“Absolutely not, she laughed at me the whole time.”

“You did take half an hour to start the fire.”

“Tzuyu!” Dahyun exclaimed, startling the younger girl. Jeongyeon was a little wary of Chaeyoung, the younger girl was adamant on her beauty sleep.

“Come on, you couldn’t have left that part out?” She whispered in Jeongyeon's ear, with the latter muffling her laugh with her hands.

“Please, it was too funny.” Jeongyeon muttered back.

“Man, you guys are so loud.” Chaeyoung said, cracking her neck. She sat up and scratched her head, staring at the trio. She then chuckled a little, and stared at Tzuyu with knowing eyes.

"Really Tzuyu? 30 minutes? We taught you better than that."

"She must've been startled by the pretty girl sitting next to her." Dahyun said, teasing the younger girl, who kept a stoic face. Jeongyeon raised her eyebrows and looked at Tzuyu with a smile. This was interesting.

"Oh really? Why didn't you say so Tzuyu?" The mentioned girl's face was red, rivaling the bright color of the fish Chaeyoung was now gutting. Jeongyeon figured that she gave up on her sleep.

"Shut up." Jeongyeon laughed and decided to dig the younger girl a grave.

"Oh it happens all the time, every girl I save has this weird crush on me after the fact. Don't worry." Tzuyu sent Jeongyeon a glare that startled her, Jeongyeon hadn't expected her to be so angry. The blonde looked at her with wide eyes as she spoke.

"Stop talking, Jeongyeon." Tzuyu then got up and walked into the clearing. Jeongyeon wondered if she struck a nerve, or if she just didn't like being teased. She looked to the other two for guidance.

"Tzuyu's just a little sour, give her five minutes, she'll get over it." Chaeyoung said, plunging the stick through the fish and propping it up over the fire.

"Are you sure? She looked at me like I killed her dog." Dahyun sighed.

"It's not that big of a deal, I promise."

Jeongyeon nodded as she started to turn the fish, making sure that every inch was heated up. One of her town members got salmonella from uncooked meat before. It wasn't fun. 

"If you're sure," she said as she watched the fire tickle at the fish. 

Chaeyoung spoke up, "So, you said something about a camp. Tell us some more about it. We usually tell stories to pass the time."

Jeongyeon didn't know what to say. Maybe she could talk about the time Nayeon nearly got bathed in acid rain. Or when Mina first came across the camp while Jeongyeon and Nayeon were on a mission and nearly got burnt at the stake. Oh, or maybe should could talk about when Jisoo and Taehyung tried to fight to the death over some leftovers.

"I don't really have anything interesting to tell."

"Boo, there must be something." Jeongyeon cracked.

"Well, there was this one time..." And so they shared stories and laughed around the campfire, cooking fish and chatting like they've known each other for years.

\--

Eventually Tzuyu came back, a stoic expression on her face. Jeongyeon looked over the younger girl with analytical eyes.  _ Was she still mad? _ Tzuyu looked at Jeongyeon and smiled.  _ Okay, so she wasn't. _

"Hey Tzuyu, enjoy your walk?" Tzuyu sat down next to Jeongyeon and thought for a second, nodding soon after.

"I'd say so. I saw a deer on my way back, and it's not often you see one of those." Jeongyeon nodded, turning the fish and making sure that it cooked evenly.

"Do you like deer?" 

"Not to eat, but they are pretty animals." Jeongyeon chuckled, watching as Tzuyu's face glowed. She really liked talking about animals.

Tzuyu continued, "I'm really into cows. I've never seen one in real life, but I have in books before. They seem so cute." 

"Well maybe we can find some for you, who knows?" Tzuyu narrowed her eyes. Jeongyeon internally frowned, did she say something wrong?

"'We?'" Oh, that was it. Jeongyeon's choice of words.

"Well, uh—Dahyun and Chaeyoung can get you a cow. No big deal." Jeongyeon felt like crawling under a rock and sleeping there for eternity. Maybe she was just being dramatic, but that kinda hurt her feelings. She checked the fish again, it needed about five more minutes and then they'd each have their own. 

"No. We can find some. You'll get me this cow, Yoo Jeongyeon." Jeongyeon gazed at the younger girl as she mulled over what she just said.  _ She wants me around just to get her a cow? Well, It's better than her not wanting me around at all. _

"You guys should come to my base. I feel like you'd all like it there." Tzuyu sat up and snapped her eyes onto her friends, who were napping on the same rock from earlier.

"Well I—I don't know about that. We've always kinda wandered around the country without a stable base. I don't know if they'd agree to that." Jeongyeon focused on the sleeping girls. They seemed so much younger when they were sleeping, and at that moment Jeongyeon realized how young they actually were. They were barely adults, how did they live by themselves that long? 

"I never said you had to stay. I just feel like it'd be hard for them to travel how they normally do with injuries like that. We're all good people." Tzuyu eyed the fire as she thought about it. Jeongyeon wasn't gonna pressure them into it. If they wanted to continue the lonely lifestyle they've been doing, she wouldn't stop them.

"I'm not against the idea," Tzuyu carefully started, "but I'm not sure if they would be willing to depend on you like that. They've been traveling like this since before I knew them, and I've known them since the bombing of Sinan." Jeongyeon wasn't necessarily surprised, she figured that the girls were close knit. Yudi’s industrial city was destroyed roughly... six years ago?

"It won't hurt to bring it up to them, but I'm not trying to force you guys or anything. If not I can just leave in the morning and we'll go our separate ways." Tzuyu's eyes widened slightly at the phrase. Jeongyeon could sense the shift in the girl's mindset, and smirked with a subtleness that would go undetected. Tzuyu took a deep breath and started to speak.

"Now that you mention it..."

\-- 

“So, let me think for a second… you want us,” Chaeyoung gestured to her and Dahyun, “To go to a stranger’s base? No offense Jeongyeon.” 

“None taken.”

“Hear me out guys, you’re both injured.” 

“And?”

“And? You guys can’t defend yourselves! Jeongyeon told us that she had medicines on top of medicines at her base! It would be useful!”

Dahyun thought for a moment, “Until we heal.”

“Until we heal? We’re going?” Chaeyoung asked.

“Tzuyu has a point, Chaeng.” There was a moment of deliberation between the two, and Chaeyoung sighed abruptly.

“Alright, let’s get going.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is appreciated! Hope you liked the chapter!


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